A Great Friend to Atlantic Salmon is Lost

U.S. Salmon fishing loses a fine sportsman and a championing conservationist with the passing of Donal C. O’Brien Jr.

Source Atlantic Salmon Federation

Bill Taylor, President of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, writes:

I am deeply saddened to inform you of Donal C. O’Brien Jr.’s passing on September 8, 2013. Don passed on peacefully at his home surrounded by his family following a lengthy illness. Don is survived by his wife, Katie and his children Don, Connan, Kit and Carrie and numerous grandchildren.

Don was Chairman Emeritus of ASF (US) and a dear friend to many ASF Directors and National Council members and staff. Don was a champion in conservation and sportsman extraordinaire. He dedicated much of his life to supporting and working to help environmental causes that he was passionate about. I have many fond memories of time spent with Don both in the boardroom and on the river.

Don was a retired senior partner in the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. He served as Commissioner of the Connecticut State Board of Fisheries and Game, and was Chairman Emeritus of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality. He served on the Connecticut Council of Environmental Quality over a thirty-year period by appointment of four of Connecticut's Governors. Don also served as Chairman of the Governor’s Task Force on Hunting and Public Safety in Connecticut and was Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the National Audubon Society.

Don was a former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of The Nature Conservancy, former President of the International Council for Bird Preservation, Chairman Emeritus of the Quebec Labrador Foundation, a former member of the Atlantic Flyway Council for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Delta Waterfowl Foundation and a Director Emeritus of the American Museum of Natural History. He was a founding Director of a number of conservation organizations, including the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, the Connecticut Waterfowlers Association, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, and the American Bird Conservancy, where he served as Chairman Emeritus.

Don was first elected to the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Salmon Federation (U.S.) in 1979. He served the Federation in a variety of capacities, including Chairman of the Nominating Committee, Chairman of the Development Committee, Chairman of the Executive Committee, and Co-Chairman of the Regional Affairs Committee.

Don was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors on May 6, 1994 and served as Chairman until November, 2005.

Don’s many important contributions to ASF and wild Atlantic salmon conservation were recognized with the presentation of the T.B. “Happy” Fraser Award in 2002 and the Lee Wulff Award in 2004.

There will be a memorial service for Don near his home in New Canaan, Connecticut next week.